Obama Surges To Lead Against Generic Republican

Beset by debt ceiling woes, President Obama has been trailing behind a hypothetical "generic Republican" in recent polls. But no longer! The latest from Gallup has him moving into a solid lead.

According to the monthly survey, which was conducted from August 4 -7, Obama would win 45-39 against "the Republican party's candidate." The previous two polls from Gallup had the generic GOPer running strong with a 47-39 lead in July and 44-39 lead in June.

Despite widespread anger at Washington over the last month's debt ceiling negotiations and a week of brutal financial news, several polls this week have suggested that Obama and the Democratic brand are hanging tough for now. A look at Obama's approval ratings across all 50 states released on Monday showed him gaining ground in a number of critical states since the Democrats' disastrous midterm election. A CNN poll on Tuesday showed the Republican party more unpopular than ever in the wake of the debt ceiling fight while Democrats are holding steady.